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Appendix A
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Music that influenced the creation of "The Outsider"
"The
Outsider" differs from my other fiction projects in several ways,
because it is more based on my real-life observations than were my
previous novels.
One of the biggest differences in the writing process of this particular
novel was the fact that a lot of the
story was influenced by music that I have listened to and enjoyed
throughout my life. As I wrote the story, various songs and musical
creations came into my mind. In my imagination, portions of the narrative
had a
musical score or a background setting. Music helped set the mood for
much of what I wrote, especially when I imagined my characters' thoughts
or pictured them as they traveled about central California.
It has been several years since I wrote the novel's ending, and since "The Outsider"
was posted in its current form.
However, much of the project is still in my thoughts, because the novel
reflects a lot of the reality in which I live, the lives of people I
have known and cared about, and my fears for the future of my country.
As I listened to the music that inspired some of the details of my
character Ruthie Burns and the world that surrounds her, it occurred to
me that some of the story's readers might be interested in knowing the
music that set the tone for the story. With that idea present in my
mind, I decided to create a "play-list" for "The Outsider".
I feel this is a way for me, as an author, to
share a part of the life experience I had as I explored the story of the
friendship between my characters Ruthie Burns and Mike Sinclair. This
list probably will change as I think about what I might want to add to this
collection.
Songs that I consider central to the over-all theme of
the novel:
Justin Hayward - Broken Dream (this song comes
closest to being the theme for the entire novel)
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
Blue October - Into The Ocean
Sin Cos Tan - Heart of America
Beth Nielsen Chapman - Sand and Water
Justin Hayward - Forever Autumn
Pink Floyd - Hey You
Don Henley - End Of The Innocence
Bruce Springsteen - My Father's House
Poison - Something to Believe In
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends
Howard Jones - No One Is To Blame
Mike Sinclair's favorite songs:
Queensryche - I Don't Believe in Love
Queensryche - Eyes of a Stranger
Dire Straits - Money For Nothing
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Aerosmith - Livin' On The Edge
Some of the music that Roger Sinclair shared with Ruthie:
Bob Seger - Against the Wind
Bob Seger - Turn the Page
Bob Seger - Like a Rock
John Denver - Fly Away
James Taylor & J.D. Souther - Her Town Too
Joan Baez - Suzanne (original by Leonard Cohen, but I like
the Baez version better)
The Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play
Michael Martin Murphey - Wildfire
